Man City FFP: Financial Times report when City will be ‘hit with sanctions’ for 114 charges
The Financial Times claim Manchester City will be ‘hit with Premier League sanctions next year’ with their appeal set to begin in mid-December.
City were found guilty of breaching 114 Premier League rules by an independent commission last month, as the panel found them to have used ‘sham’ sponsorship deals to boost they earnings by around £900m between 2009 and 2018.
The club have now appealed that verdict as they insist upon their innocence and claim they have ‘irrefutable evidence’ to prove it, in the form of documents showing that the sponsorship funds came from the Abu Dhabi government rather from their owners.
The FT report that the appeal is ‘set to go ahead in mid-December, according to people with knowledge of the situation’ and will ‘run for a number of days’.
Possible punishments if the appeal fails include fines, transfer bans, points deductions, Premier League expulsion and titles being stripped, while the owners could also be removed by the Independent Football Regulator.
It’s claimed the appeal verdict is set to be handed down by the newly-former independent commission ‘in the new year’, while ‘according to the people’, a decision on sanctions will follow that.
The report adds that ‘the timing of proceedings has been closely guarded, with some previously suggesting sanctions could be announced before the appeal process had concluded’.
Although City will be hit with the sanctions in the new year ‘it isn’t clear when any sanctions would take effect, and punishments are also open to appeal’.
The report adds:
‘That means the uncertainty hanging over the Premier League — the most popular domestic competition in global football — could still stretch on beyond the current season ending in May, and possibly for years to come, legal experts have warned.’
The initial three-person commission who found Man City guilty will ultimately decide upon their punishment, but the Premier League’s board – made up of five individuals – has the responsibility of recommending a sanction.
The board comprises the league’s chair, chief executive, and three independent non-executive directors.
No club representatives are included in order to provide independence and neutrality, though Man City may well question a lack of prejudice upon discovering that chair Alison Brittain ‘describes herself as a “lifelong Manchester United fan [who] stood in the Stretford End before it had seats, as a kid” because of her family’s allegiance’.
